Health Minister Chris Fearne appointed as President of the World Health Assembly

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne was appointed for the position of President of the upcoming 67th edition of the World Health Assembly (WHA) organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which will be held between the 21st to 30th May.

Dr Fearne was nominated for the position by the European Regional Director Hans Kluge and the WHO Regional Committee of the European Region.

Honoured to accept @WHO’s nomination as President of the World Health Assembly #WHA76 - towards bringing #HealthForAll in a modern world pic.twitter.com/G6EG9f8xNY

— Chris Fearne (@chrisfearne) April 3, 2023

The WHA is a decision-making body comprising representatives from 194 member states and meets once a year to set the policies, priorities and budget for the WHO.

As President of this assembly, Deputy Prime Minister Fearne will be leading a series of meetings in which leaders in the field of health from the 194 member states of the WHO are expected to participate. He will also be a member of the World Health Assembly’s General Committee and Committee on Credentials.

The highlight of the one-year term is the annual assembly, which is considered a key event for the leadership of the WHO, where member states determine the priorities and policies of the WHO for the coming year.

"It is an honour for a Maltese person to lead the World Health Assembly, and the nomination for this position continues to strengthen the reputation of Malta's health sector on an international scale, "stated Dr Fearne.

He also reaffirmed his commitment as the Minister for Health in Malta so that the sector continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic.